John Riley, the 28 year-old Irishman who is credited with organizing the San Patricio Battalion during the Mexican War, has been the subject of much speculation in recent years. Much of it has come about because of renewed interest in Ireland as it approaches 2013, the “Year of the Gathering,” and new memorials and historic landmarks appear across the country. There have been two such memorials for Riley recently, one a bust in Mexico City, the other a small sculpture in Clifden, Co. Galway.
Riley deserted the United States Army on the eve of its invasion of Mexico in April, 1846, along with a handful of other soldiers, mostly Irish immigrants. During the course of the unpopular Mexican American War, over 5,280 soldiers would defect. Many of them simply went back home or disappeared into the hinterlands; however, several hundred joined Riley and fought on the Mexican side. They formed the Battalion of St. Patrick (Los San Patricios), a crack artillery unit, and were honored by the Mexicans for their bravery in several of the war’s major battles.
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